The story of Joe Warren vs. Joe Taimanglo was a foregone conclusion from the opening bell. Warren would use his wrestling to win the day.

Taimanglo (24-8-1 MMA, 7-4 BMMA) had a different outcome in mind, though. He shut down Warren’s (15-7 MMA, 13-6 BMMA) takedown game halfway through the fight and won key scrambles to take home a split decision.

The bantamweight bout was the co-main event of today’s Bellator 195 show at Winstar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla. It aired on Paramount following prelims on MMAjunkie.

The final scorecards were 30-27 twice for Taimanglo with one judge dissenting for Warren with a 29-28 tally.

Ex-champ Warren managed to put his foe on the mat early in the fight. As soon as he got up, however, it became apparent that he was at a striking disadvantage against Taimanglo, who peppered him with jabs before landing power punches. A series of thudding right hands caught Warren late in the frame, forcing Warren to redouble his takedown efforts. With a mighty scramble, the ex-champ finally got his man down.

In the second frame, there was less luck in the air. Taimanglo found his sprawl and continued to snap back Warren’s head with jabs and power rights. Warren appeared to fade as the strikes began to rack up and Taimanglo showed no sign he would allow the takedown.

Forced to stand, Warren found a big right hand that dropped Taimanglo early in the final frame. Jumping into top position, Warren might have hung tough and rode out the rest of the round. Only Taimanglo still had the energy to scramble to his feet and execute his own takedowns. Warren narrowly escaped a guillotine choke as he tried to reverse the tide.

With the final scorecards, Taimanglo (25-8-1 MMA, 7-4 BMMA) pulled off a big upset and snapped a two-fight skid. Warren (15-7 MMA, 13-6 BMMA) continues to bounce between wins and losses in his past eight Bellator outings.